In some ways, it’s almost embarrassing to heap lavish praise onto my favorite Napa wineries. I often feel as though I might be coming across as some sort of Napa Valley rah-rah, gushing with unbridled hyperbole, like one of those degenerate Yelp reviewers. For me, Yelp represents the absolute lowest of the low in online [...]

Living in the Napa Valley, I’ve discovered over the years that I’m still perfectly capable of rampant tourism. Case in point: I recently hosted some friends from out of town and accompanied them to seven Napa wineries in just two days. That’s quite a bit of wine tasting, although hardly a personal record; when I [...]

As I spent 2009 combing the Napa Valley for great wines (the one definite perk of living here and being in the wine business), I decided to pay special attention to the Cabernets that were priced at $50 or less, hoping to compile a list of favorites. In order to confirm their merit, I hope [...]

I began taking blogging a little more seriously about a year ago, when I finally upgraded the Thirsty Reader from a static HTML page to a more fully functional website. Since then, I’ve attempted to keep pace with my own taste for the good life by sharing as many positive experiences as possible, whether it’s [...]

I realize that Memorial Day is all about remembering those who served our country, but since I also had the day to go wine tasting, I decided it would be somewhat appropriate to visit a few of the pioneering wineries here in the Napa Valley, in order to sample the current releases from such stalwarts [...]

A week or two ago, I mentioned that the folks over at Long Meadow Ranch had struck a deal to build a new restaurant. One of my readers alerted me to the press release over at the Long Meadow Ranch website, which hashes out most of the details. I probably should have found this information [...]

A recent bottle of 2004 Whitehall Lane Merlot prompted a visit to their St. Helena winery today. I had purchased this Merlot almost two years ago, and so my recollections were a little hazy. Much to my surprise, however, it was excellent, and I was intrigued that I hadn’t remembered this wine more clearly. When [...]

Having visited Chappellet a handful of times over the last few years, I have long considered the winery to be one of the greatest destinations in the Napa Valley. Perched atop 640 acres on Pritchard Hill, Chappellet offers stunning views of the surrounding Vaca Mountains, while offering its guests an amazingly consistent portfolio of Bordeuax-style [...]

Despite its spike in popularity over the last five years, Pinot Noir remains rather uncommon here in the Napa Valley. With the exception of Carneros — the coolest and southern-most region in Napa — this fickle Burgundian varietal is simply ill-suited for the valley’s warm summer climates. Besides, Cabernet Sauvignon has long been crowned the [...]

I had a fantastic tasting at Realm Cellars today, which included an impressive flight of the winery’s three current releases. Realm, which produces its wines on the Chateau Boswell property along the northern end of the Silverado Trail, has only been a label since 2002, but the winery has quickly built a reputation for crafting [...]